Chancellor Allen
C. Meadors welcomed the largest freshman class and the largest student
body in the history of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
during Convocation ceremonies Wednesday, Aug. 28.

"Welcome to
the fastest growing university in the UNC system," Chancellor Meadors
said. "When this year's seniors arrived on campus we had about
2,900 students, and they will graduate from a university with more than
4,300. That's an increase of 48 percent in just three years."

UNCP has record
numbers of transfer students (420), graduate students (430) and freshmen
(720), the chancellor said. This year's freshman scored 10 points higher
on their SATs also.

"We have hired
30 new faculty members with 24 in new positions that were created to
handle our enrollment growth," Chancellor Meadors said. "Over
80 percent our your classes are taught by full-time professors, which
is highest in the UNC system and higher than the national average of
60-65 percent."

Convocation
speaker Robert F. Orr, an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme
Court, gave an audience of about 800 in the Givens Performing Arts Center
a civics lesson on the state constitution.

"While the
importance of the state constitution has lessened in the eyes of the
people and the legal community, there is a resurgence of its significance,"
Judge Orr said.

He cited a string
of recent decisions of the state Supreme Court that will affect the
citizens of North Carolina for decades to come. One of those cases -
the Leandro Case concerning school funding equity - "is the single-most
important legal case in 100 years," Judge Orr said.

"This case
is about whether there is a constitutional right to a sound, basic education,"
Judge Orr said. "The court was unanimous that there is a constitutional
right. You young people will be dealing with this issue for 10, 20 and
50 years."

This and other recent
cases regarding the state constitution make its study all the more important,
he said. A Hendersonville native who attended UNC-Chapel Hill, Judge
Orr is seeking his second eight-year term on the state Supreme Court
in November.

Provost and Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs Roger Brown introduced the speaker and
officially signaled the start of a new academic year, that, he promised,
will be full of "new opportunities and new challenges."